Chancellor George Osborne is once again being criticised over his handling of the tampon tax after he pledged all the money made from the tax will go towards funding women’s charities.
The pledge has been seen by many as an attempt to appease those who feel disillusioned by the controversial tax.
The controversy stems from tampons and other sanitary items being classed as a luxury item, despite millions of women using them for sanitation purposes.
Cassie Agbehenu, a local women’s rights activist, lashed out in a targeted response to women MP’s who voted in favour of keeping tampon tax
“If we’re thinking about people who really do have to put in the purse strings and think about what they’re spending and think about which things are necessary and which things are not, then we’re getting that answer for people who really don’t need to worry about that thing.
“So when the time of the month comes and she’s walking around, would she feel comfortable not using those?
“I would say to that woman, if she was unable to afford sanitary products, would she feel comfortable not using them at all?
“If she had no money. if she had to choose between sanitary products and putting food on the table for her family, what would she choose?”
Stella Creasy has led the debate in the House of Commons in recent weeks where she lambasted the fact that, despite the so called “luxury” status of tampons, Jaffa Cakes are not taxed because they are classed as a “necessity” whereas tampons are classed as a “luxury” item and therefore can be taxed.
